Blood
by firefly827347
Summary: Major Sarah Walker is on a routine mission when she is captured by a Wraith Dart. Imprisioned by a familiar face, she tries to work out why he's holding her and whether she'll be able to escape. Set between The Kindred Part II and The Last Man.


This is the first fic I've written in a while, and the first one where I've used a character I made up myself. The idea came to me when I donated blood a few weeks ago. Thinking about Stargate helped me forget about the needle in my arm lol.

The story fits right between The Kindred Part II and The Last Man.

Please review, feedback is love.

* * *

When I was a kid, I was never really into boys. I preferred to fight with them than to gaze at them, unlike the rest of the girls in my class. They watched Top Gun for Tom Cruise, I watched it for the Tomcats. Ten years later, things weren't much different. I joined the Air Force straight after graduating college and never looked back. I actually got paid to fly jet planes and fight for my country, which was pretty much a dream come true. I got two medals in as many years and logged over 400 hours in enemy airspace. Then one day, some time after my twenty-eighth birthday, my life changed completely.

I was called to Washington one rainy afternoon in spring. I was surprised when I walked into the room to find eleven other people just like me already there, all of whom were unsure what they were doing there. Our attention was captured immediately by dark haired man who entered the room carrying nothing but a file, a pen and a remote control, which I presumed was for the laptop projector at the front. He introduced himself as Major Paul Davis and said that what he was about to tell us was classified at the top level, and before he could begin we'd all need to sign documents stating that we would be imprisoned immediately if we leaked any of the information. We were so curious that everyone signed immediately. Major Davis then collected the documents, put them in the file, closed it, and stood at the front of the room.

Turning on the projector with the remote control, he began his story. A story about other planets, alien creatures both good and bad, space ships, false gods, wormholes, black holes, top secret underground facilities, names we were never allowed to speak in public, teams that didn't exist and missions that would never be classed as 'official'. Relevant images and documents flashed up on the screen as he spoke; photos of teams of men and women on other planets, diagrams of alien artefacts, pictures of the Stargate device itself and the underground facility in which it was kept. We were invited to sign up to this secret program, to give up our normal lives with the Air Force and join the ranks of the elite, the best in the world. No one dared speak until he had finished, and when he had, there was silence. Obviously used to the sceptical looks he received after his recruitment speech, Major Davis sat down, smiled and politely asked if there were any questions. I had only one.

"When do we start?" I asked, raising my hand.

oOo

That was back in 2002. Since then I'd been promoted to Major and was leading my own team, SG-9, through this magical alien device – the Stargate, the reason for everything. I'd been trained to fly space ships that the world didn't know existed, I could use technology that shouldn't even have been invented yet and I'd seen things that both horrified and amazed me. I'd travelled to over two hundred different planets and made personal allies with people from at least six different species. I could speak three alien languages fluently, and was in the process of learning a fourth. Then, almost five years exactly after I joined Stargate Command, I was called in to see the General.

An hour later, my life had taken another turn. I'd been asked to join an expedition team on Atlantis base in the Pegasus galaxy. New galaxy, new planets, new technology, new enemies. I accepted immediately.

A month after that, I said goodbye to my team and my friends and boarded the Daedalus, the ship which would take me there. Three weeks down the line, I began my first day of work. I'd been assigned to a team – lead by Major Evan Lorne – until I got the hang of things and could lead my own one. It was strange at first, but after a week I felt like I'd been there my whole life. I was taught to fly the 'Puddlejumpers'; Ancient spacecraft created by the same people that built the city I was now living in. I was fortunate enough to have the gene that allowed me to pilot them.

My commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, gave us three pieces of advice when we started; never give the chief scientist citrus unless we wanted to die horribly, never offer to spar with the aliens on the base unless we wanted to die painfully, and never trust a Wraith unless we wanted to die period. He sounded like he spoke from experience so I took his word for it.

I lived through the loss of many people, including the chief medical officer Doctor Carson Beckett, and the civilian leader of the expedition Doctor Elizabeth Weir.

A year later, I was an accomplished member of the expedition with several successful trade agreements under my belt and a brilliant team to back me up. I'd been joined by two of my old team members from SG-9 which was great; they'd been like my adopted family. My real family didn't exist anymore thanks to a messy divorce. I was having a better time on Atlantis than I did back on Earth and I relished every challenge.

oOo

All of that brings me to the last mission I went on – M7S-891; a luscious and peaceful world which, to our knowledge Michael – the newest and biggest enemy we'd faced – didn't know about. On this occasion, my team was doubled with Major Lorne's team to deliver supplies and medicines to the Plesoans, the people of the planet. They had good places to hide from the Wraith, but couldn't sustain themselves for long periods of time. In return, they gave us fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as some other assorted goods we couldn't get on Earth. They'd also informed us that whispers had been spreading amongst their allied trading worlds of a Wraith who had turned on his kind and was slowly wiping them out. He was holding a woman captive, and she was with child. It was clear that this Wraith was Michael, and he still had Teyla. We were told to find out everything we could.

Lorne's four-man team stepped through the gate first with a backpack each full of supplies. Once we got the all clear, my team followed with our own rucksacks. We stepped into brilliant morning sunshine and I had to squint. I'd only been to the planet once before but had found the people extremely gracious and welcoming. We made our way through a small area of woodland towards the village which was just under a mile from the gate. About three quarters of the way into our journey, I got an odd feeling.

Normally a Plesoan or two would have met outside the village to welcome us, but today there was no one in sight. The last time I had been here, smoke had been visible from the chimneys up ahead and children could be heard playing in the meadow at the other side of the village. Today there was no smoke, no children, nothing. Things were quiet. I shot a sideways look at Lorne, who gave me a knowing glance. He'd observed the lack of activity too. I saw him tighten his grip on his P-90 as I did the same. Both our teams noticed and slowly started spreading out. To an outsider, it would look as though they were just wandering around and admiring the scenery, occasionally glancing at the sky, the ground, the trees, and behind them at the gate. In reality, they were all looking for cover and possible ambush points. I heard a branch snap somewhere to my right. All eight of us froze and simultaneously raised our weapons. We couldn't have done it better if we'd practiced. If someone had been watching, they'd know we were onto them by now. We stood still for a further thirty seconds, listening for any sound of movement. There was nothing but silence. Lorne and I shared another glance. The stillness was making us uneasy. I reached into my vest for the life-signs detector I always carried with me. There was a single dot, not far away from our group. I opened my mouth to tell Lorne, but it suddenly vanished. It was then that we heard it; a faint wailing sound, like a bee caught in a jar. It was getting louder.

"Dart!" Lorne yelled. We immediately scrambled and headed for cover. Things happened so quickly it was almost a blur. I called for my team to head towards the thicker trees, as they were close enough for us to reach before the Wraith ship got us. I heard a yelp to my left and ran to assist. One of the guys had tripped. I hauled him to his feet, pushed him towards cover and spun around to check on the rest of the group. By the time I saw it, it was too late to move. I was taken by the beam, and I didn't feel a thing.

oOo

As soon as I emerged from the depths of the Wraith dart, my knees gave way and I collapsed to the floor. My vision had gone slightly blurry and I couldn't see very well. I felt myself being dragged towards a hallway by my flak vest. My head was spinning and I had pins and needles, but I could just make out that rather than a Hive ship, I was in some sort of building. It didn't look even remotely Wraith – everything was made of stone and metal. I suddenly had a sinking feeling that I knew who was behind my capture. The guard who had me by the vest stopped at a particular room and opened the door. He shoved me inside and began removing my field gear. My P-90 was taken first, followed by my sidearm, knife and radio. Finally, my backpack and vest were yanked away until I was left with only my clothes. As the Wraith gathered my things, I got my first decent look at it, and realised with some horror that it wasn't even a Wraith; it was a hybrid. So Michael was indeed behind my capture. I glared at it, but he didn't seem to notice and as he left the door closed behind him with a loud bang. I groaned and looked around. I had no idea if the rest of my team or Lorne's had been captured. I severely hoped not.

The cell I was in was bare. There was nothing in it, not even a bed. The only light source was a small window near the ceiling, and even if I could reach it, it was too small for me to fit through. The metal bars on the outside made life a bit difficult too.

I don't know how long I paced around thinking of a way to escape, but it felt like hours. The only indication of time I had was the diminishing amount of light coming through the window. Eventually, I heard a scraping against the door as the bolt on the outside was pulled back. A human man stepped inside with a bowl of what looked like regurgitated oatmeal.

"Eat." He grunted. I ignored him. Wraith-worshippers were one thing, but Michael-worshippers were scum.

"Eat." He repeated, setting the bowl down. I noticed that there was no spoon. He was probably afraid I'd gouge his eyes out with it.

I was tempted to ask about the rest of my team, but if they'd managed to escape unnoticed and were hiding somewhere I didn't want to give them away.

"What do you want from me?" I asked instead, deciding to play along with his game. He smiled and said nothing. It sent shivers down my spine, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing it. A second later he was gone and the door banged shut for the second time.

oOo

I must have drifted off to sleep on the floor, because when I awoke it was dark. I don't know how I managed to sleep, the floor was cold, hard and had an unpleasant metallic smell about it. I could barely see to move, so I lay where I was and considered my options. Michael clearly had something planned for me or he'd have taken me to a Hive ship by now, rather than locking me away in some secret facility. I just had to figure out what the plan was. I had no obvious way of contacting Atlantis or anyone else for that matter. I had no idea if I was even still on the planet we'd arrived at that morning.

I began to shiver. It was the warm season on M7S-891, though the nights got really cold. We were only supposed to have been staying a few hours so I hadn't thought to bring a thicker jacket.

My mind wandered as I drifted off to sleep again and thoughts of Atlantis, Earth, my friends and my team washed over me. I'd been captured before, and thoughts of home and loved ones always seemed to get me through. I prayed for the hundredth time that my team and Lorne's had made it safely back to Atlantis. Not only would they be safe, but it would mean there was a remote chance of being rescued. I felt a surge of hope. It may have been false hope, but I didn't fight it. If I was to be incarcerated for a while, I'd need all the strength I could get.

oOo

The next morning, a hybrid came to take away my untouched bowl of food. He seemed to have no emotion, just a hollowness in his eyes and a blank expression on his face. I considered trying to overpower him, but before I could get a chance two more hybrids entered the cell to escort me away. I was lead down several corridors but I might as well have been going in circles; everything looked the same. We came to a big metal door, and one of them hauled it open. I was nudged inside. The room behind the door was some sort of warehouse that had been converted into a makeshift laboratory. There were screens here and there and some sort of scanning equipment in the centre. To one side was a table, on which lay syringes, vials; either empty or filled with chemicals, and various sharp tools. Next to it was a metal structure that looked like a hospital bed with arm and foot restraints. The entire scene made me sick inside.

"Welcome." The voice came from my left. I didn't need to see his face to know who it was.

"I am Michael." He added. I turned to face him. "And you are…Major Walker. Is that correct?"

I didn't reply. He walked towards me, stepping into the light. It was the first time I'd seen him up close. He looked shockingly human, except for the two hollow lines on his cheeks and his pallid skin tone. He was wearing an ornate cloak and had a sense of power about him. It had been a while since I'd been intimidated by someone, but Michael was certainly doing a good job. He spoke calmly and politely, as if we were about to make a business deal. He took another step forward and reached out towards me. I tried to step backwards but was stopped by the grunts holding onto my arms. By now I was finding it difficult to mask my fear. I'd seen first-hand what a Wraith could do to a person, but he merely picked up the dogtags around my neck and glanced at them. After a moment, he let go of them, turned around and walked towards the table in the centre of the room.

"Major Sarah Walker." He said as he went. He reached the table, picked up an empty syringe, turned back to face me and smiled. "How fortunate for me to have found you."

He motioned to the hybrids either side of me, and I found myself being dragged to the metal bed. I struggled as much as I could, but they were strong and I was weak from hunger. I hadn't eaten since the morning of the mission, and I hadn't dared touch the slop he'd provided.

"If you comply, you will not get hurt." Michael said absently, as he filled the syringe with one of the vials containing a yellowish chemical.

"That depends on your definition of 'hurt'." I mumbled as I was forced onto the bed, and my wrists and ankles strapped down.

He finished filling the syringe and chuckled slightly. It creeped me out a little. "As long as you do what I tell you, when my plan is complete you will walk out of here alive and well, Major."

I had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy, and I didn't like the sound of this 'plan'. He walked over to me and before I could say anything, stuck the needle in my neck and depressed the plunger. I don't even remember closing my eyes.

oOo

I awoke some time later to find myself alone. I was still strapped to the bed, and there were fresh bruises on each of my arms on the inside crease of my elbows. Looking over to the table, I saw that most of the once-empty vials now contained something that looked suspiciously like blood. Judging from the aching sensation in my arms, I was pretty sure it was mine.

"How are you feeling?"

Apparently, I was not alone. Michael emerged from behind a screen and stood next to me. I glared at him.

"Oh, peachy. Losing half your body weight in blood is always a hoot." I replied as sarcastically as I could, flexing my arms. The restraints had made my fingers go numb. Michael noticed, and loosened the bindings.

"Better?" He asked.

"How about you remove them completely and I'll let you know?"

It was worth a shot. He ignored me.

"Why am I here?" I asked. "What do you want from me?"

Michael considered his answer for a moment. "You are able to use Lantean technology, are you not?"

I wondered how he knew that. "Maybe, maybe not."

He smiled. There was no warmth to it. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you, Major. If, as I understand it, you can indeed use Lantean technology then you are of great importance to me and I shall see to it that no harm comes to you." I suppressed a snort and glanced at the vials of my blood. "However, if that is incorrect and you don't in fact have the ability, then you are of no further use to me and I shall not hesitate to kill you where you lie. Do you understand?"

I had no choice but to nod.

"Good. Now answer my question. Can you use Lantean technology?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now that we are clear, perhaps you would like some food." He began to walk away.

"You still didn't answer my question." I said, making him stop. "What do you want from me? From my blood?"

He turned to face me. "The gene that allows your use of the technology." He replied.

"Why?" I pressed.

He smiled calmly. "Imagine the technology of the Lanteans at the fingertips of my own creations."

I went cold. "You want Atlantis." I said. He nodded his head smugly, turned around and swiftly exited the room. A short time later, I was taken back to my cell.

oOo

I'd been held captive for about two weeks after that, with small samples of blood being taken every few days. During my second week, Michael had allowed me to be escorted outside to walk around in the daylight for half an hour as a reward for good behaviour. Judging from the scenery, I was still on M7S-891. I'd discovered that it was no use trying to fight against him; as long as I did what he asked, he treated me fairly. Apart from the whole 'prison' part, of course. I was fed twice a day, and a bed had been placed in my cell as well as a blanket.

Michael only brought me food personally three times a week. The rest of the time one of his human minions did it. On one occasion, I decided to mention about something that had been on my mind for a while.

"How's Teyla?" I asked, as Michael was setting my tray down on the floor. His head snapped up and our eyes met. He decided that my question was fairly innocent.

"Well enough." He replied curtly. I felt brave, so decided to push further.

"Has she had her baby yet?"

Michael began to leave, seemly ignoring my question.

"Please?" I added anxiously, making him stop. "I just want to know if she's okay."

He didn't turn around. "She has not yet given birth." He replied. "But she is close."

oOo

Three more days went by, and I was taken out for more tests. More blood was taken, only this time Michael didn't sedate me. He knew that I knew there was nowhere for me to go if I should manage to escape – I had no weapons and on the few occasions I'd been outside, there had been too many hybrids and humans around for me to take on single-handedly. He took a lot more blood this time. I hoped that meant he wasn't getting anywhere with his experiment. I'd decided that I didn't care how long I was stuck there or how much blood he took from me, there was no way he was getting Atlantis.

As he was taking samples, I decided it was time to ask some more questions.

"How did you know I had the gene?"

Michael stuck another syringe in my arm. "One of my scouts observed you using Lantean technology when you got near the village."

He must have meant the life-signs detector I'd been using. I thought for a minute.

"What happened to the villagers?"

He was silent for a moment as he filled a vial with the blood he'd just taken. "They work for me now."

I felt a rush of hatred. I'd been compliant so far, doing as I was told, not causing any trouble, pretending I was fine. But inside, I loathed Michael, and I loathed him even more for what he'd done to the Plesoans. At least ten of the villagers were children.

I thought for another moment.

"So how does this work then?" Michael looked at me. "The gene. How are you going to use it?"

He studied me for a moment. I put on the dumbest face I could, trying to give the impression I was merely curious – I didn't want him to know that I was trying to work out exactly how to stop him. "I'm attempting to extract the gene from your blood and fuse it with the DNA of the hybrids to enable them to use Lantean technology as you can." He replied. I suddenly wished I'd paid more attention to biology in high school. I had no idea how he was going to do it, or how I was going to stop him.

"We are finished." He said, filling the last vial. "I will return you to your room shortly." He walked over to a scanner studied the screen. As his back was turned, for no apparent reason other than opportunity, I grabbed one of the glass vials of blood from the table and quickly stuffed it into my pocket. There were at least fourteen or fifteen on there so I hoped he wouldn't miss one, or notice the sudden appearance of a lump on my right leg. A moment later he returned and began gathering up the blood samples on a tray. I held my breath, I felt sure he was going to realise there was one missing. If he did notice, he didn't show it. He handed them to a hybrid in the corner of the room, muttered some instructions to it and motioned for me to join him. Deciding I felt too faint from blood loss to even think about breaking away, I once again did as I was told.

We turned left as we exited the room and headed back to my cell. I was beginning to know my way around now and could probably find the exit in the dark if I needed to, a skill I hoped I could put to good use some time soon.

Once I was locked up, I waited a few minutes to make sure Michael had gone before I pulled the vial out of my pocket. It was about the size of a bottle of correction fluid. I studied it, wondering what had compelled me to take it. I spent the next ten minutes looking for a place to hide it, eventually choosing a hollow gap underneath the supports of my bed.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion in the corridor outside. I rushed to the door and pressed my ear against it. The sounds were muffled slightly, but I could make out a woman's voice. She sounded distressed.

"Let me go!" Her voice sounded familiar. I heard Michael bark some instructions.

"Return her to her cell, do not harm the child."

I inhaled sharply. He must have been talking about Teyla. Had she been here this entire time? Just then, I heard someone walking towards my door so I scrambled onto my bed and pretended to be asleep. Someone, Michael I think, opened my door and placed what sounded like a tray on the floor, pausing for a second as if examining whether I was actually asleep. He left a few moments later.

I let out the breath I'd been holding and sat up. There were no more noises coming from outside. It was then that I made a decision. If Teyla was here, then I had to move fast. I had to escape, or in the very least I had to get her and the baby out. A plan like that would need much thought and much energy. I wolfed down my food and went straight to sleep. I'd begin my plan in the morning.

oOo

Michael was aware of the fact that I knew Teyla was here, I was sure of it. He must have known I'd heard what was going on, but nothing was said on the subject, and I didn't bring it up. He seemed more on edge after her escape attempt, though he tried not to show it. I could tell though, because he began to sedate me again when taking blood samples, as if he thought I'd try as well. Either that or he'd noticed the missing vial. He was around much less too, the latest blood samples were taken by hybrids. This worked to my advantage, the hybrids seemed less meticulous and more careless than Michael was. I wasn't sedated, and they certainly didn't notice another missing vial of blood here and there, nor the scalpel which had been on the tray that I'd stuffed up my sleeve. They also took me back a different route to my cell, enabling me to map out even more areas of the complex in my head. There were more rooms this side of the building, and as we passed a human guard opening a door, I caught a glimpse of what was inside the room. On a shelf lay my weapons and my radio. I burned the room's location into my memory. Unfortunately I was still no closer to finding out where Teyla was, which didn't help matters, although I'd had enough vials and surgical tools in my cell ready for use during my escape.

That day came sooner than originally planned. Four days after I'd begun working on my escape, I'd been taken outside for some sunlight and fresh air when I saw it. It was the briefest of flashes, but I knew what it was. It was a signal. I turned to the human guarding me.

"I need to use the bathroom." I said. He looked at me, and I made a desperate-looking face while pointing at some trees ahead. "I'll only be five minutes."

He glanced at the trees, then back at me, as if weighing up my odds of escape. He grunted.

"You've got three."

I nodded and walked quickly towards the trees. Making sure I was out of sight, I headed towards where I'd seen the signal.

"Hello?" I whispered. I heard a rustle to my left, and then to my right.

"Walker? That you?"

I breathed a sigh of relief as Colonel Sheppard crept out from behind a clump of bushes and stalked towards me, followed closely by Major Lorne and Ronon, all fully armed. Ten metres back I could see the rest of Lorne's team and Dr. McKay.

"We thought you were dead." Sheppard added.

"Apparently not, sir." I replied with a weak smile.

"You look like hell." Lorne remarked jokily. He was silenced by a peeved look from his CO.

"I don't have much time, they think I'm using the bathroom."

Sheppard nodded and took hold of my arm. "Let's get out of here then."

"Negative sir, we can't leave yet." I replied. "Teyla's inside."

Sheppard and Ronon glanced at each other.

"Is she alright?" McKay asked.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen her in a few days. She's definitely in there though, I heard her this morning."

As the human had led me outside, I'd heard her calling again to be let out. The voice had come from a corridor I'd never been down.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Lorne asked.

"I go in there and blow them all to hell." Ronon growled.

"No, it's too risky." I insisted. "There's guards everywhere and it would take too long to tell you how to get past unseen. I'll get you in, I've already got a basic plan worked out."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "How basic?"

I swallowed. "Well, I've figured out how to get out of my cell." He groaned, so I hurriedly continued. "Once I'm out, I'll be able to reach my weapons without attracting much attention. I might be able to take out a few guards in the process. I'll then come and get you and take you to Teyla. We can spring her and split."

He nodded reluctantly.

"What about Michael?" McKay asked. "Is he in there?"

"Yes. He's doing a genetic experiment with my blood, something to do with the ATA gene." I looked at Lorne. "How much C4 have you got?"

He grinned. "Enough to make a few dents in this place."

"Good. We'll need to destroy the labs and we might need to blow Teyla's door. I'll wait until it's completely dark before come and get you."

Sheppard raised another eyebrow. "Who put you in charge?"

Suddenly, I heard a grunt from just beyond the trees. "Time's up!" It was the human.

I looked desperately at my CO. "If you want to get Teyla out, this is the way to do it. I have to go."

He pursed his lips thoughtfully and nodded. "Okay."

As I turned to leave, Lorne stopped me and handed me a penknife. "Good luck." I stuffed it into my pocket, smiled and jogged back towards the guard.

oOo

The plan would work. It had to. I had a team relying on me. And now I had a penknife.

I waited until it was dark like I'd said before I started work. I hauled the mattress off the bed, removed the vials and scalpel from their hiding place and set them on the floor. The only part of the plan I had a slight problem with is that the person that would inadvertently let me out had to die. He couldn't see it coming, and I couldn't let him raise the alarm. I had a problem with it because I was expecting it to be a human. Being in the Air Force, I was used to taking human life. It didn't mean I had to like it. I hoped beyond all hope that it would be Michael who came instead.

The penknife had made unhinging the wooden bed slats much easier, as I'd originally thought of using the scalpel. I removed a slat and placed it in the corner by the door out of immediate sight of anyone who came in too early. I then put the mattress back on the bed covered it back up with the blanket so that no one would notice. I then took one of the long nails that had been holding down the slat and started to file it on the floor to make it appear sharper. Finally, I lay on the floor, pushed up my sleeves, opened the vials of blood and poured them on my wrists, making sure the nail had blood on it. I hid the empty vials under the bed. To anyone who came in, hopefully it would look like I'd managed to commit suicide using it as a blade. Clutching it in one hand and concealing the scalpel in my pocket, I waited.

I didn't have to wait long. A human came in to deliver my evening meal. When he saw me, he put down the tray and walked over to me, nudging me with his toe. Before he even knew it, I'd kicked him in the kneecaps and was on my feet. He grunted but was strong, as I'd expected, and recovered quickly. I dived for the bed slat and thrust it into his stomach, winding him. I hit him in the side of the head with it, and he collapsed to his knees. Standing behind him, I reached into my pocket for the scalpel and slit his throat with it. I tried not to look as he slumped to the floor. I turned back to the bed and noticed curiously that he hadn't been carrying a meal, the object on the tray had been a syringe. I shrugged, wiped the scalpel on the bed blanket, grabbed his keys and the stunner from his belt and headed out the door, closing it behind me. I hoped I hadn't made too much noise.

I crept silently through the dark hallways, feeling my way towards the room where my weapons were. It took me a while to find the right key but I was soon inside. I found my way around using the light on the penknife, and was soon fully geared up. I decided to leave the backpack behind. I stowed the keys and scalpel within my vest, loaded my weapons and crept back out the door. I decided to keep the stunner at hand for stealthy attacks. I passed the corridor where Teyla was being held and was tempted to go and get her on my own, but decided against it. She would be well guarded.

I made it to the door I'd left through earlier in the day and ran into a hybrid. Luckily, I fired first, and he crumpled to the ground. I managed to open the door, wincing slightly as it made a loud scraping sound, but no one came. I wondered where all the guards were. I pushed open the door and peered outside. It was virtually pitch black, I could hardly see a thing. I saw a flashing light in the distance. I realised it was Morse code, and remembered that Sheppard's team probably had night vision goggles and could see it was me. Using the light on my P-90, I signalled the okay and was shortly joined by a healthy, well-rested team of capable armed men. Lorne smiled at me as he approached.

"Good work." Sheppard whispered, handing me a pair of goggles. "Where to now?"

Putting them on, I went back inside, and they followed. I heard someone trip over the hybrid I'd stunned. Judging from the squeak that followed, I think it was McKay.

I raised my fist suddenly and everyone froze. I could have sworn I'd heard someone moving up ahead. Sure enough, a guard appeared and shot at us with a stunner. Ronon made quick work of him.

"Which way are the labs?" Lorne asked. I pointed to the right.

"Sir-?" He began.

"Go." Sheppard replied. "Be back here in ten." Lorne removed some C4 and a detonator from his vest and headed down the corridor

"Second and third rooms on the right." I whispered. "Make sure the all the vials go too." He nodded and motioned for his team to follow him.

"Keep moving." Sheppard urged. I headed left down the hallway to where Teyla was being kept. There were no guards. Something wasn't right. We checked in every room in the corridor, but each was empty. As we got to the last one, I felt the building start to shake. At first I thought it was Lorne's team blowing up the labs, but there were no explosions, just an odd whining sound.

"It's coming from above us." McKay stated. He was right, it was as though the building was trembling from the roof downwards. We heard someone running towards us and raised our weapons, but it was just Lorne and his team approaching.

"Everything's gone, sir. The labs are empty." He said breathlessly. Sheppard and Ronon glanced at each other for a split second before sprinting back the way we'd come. A hybrid stepped out in front of us but Sheppard shot him with his P-90. Stealth wasn't important anymore. We made it to the door and ran outside. With some horror, I realised that the shaking and noises were coming from a ship – a Wraith Cruiser – which was taking off from behind some trees just beyond the building. I could see its lights illuminating the land around us.

Suddenly, someone started firing at us with stunners. We sprung into action and fired back. More shots came from either side, and I caught a glimpse of a human man running near the tree line. I tore after him, with Lorne following close behind. I took aim and fired a single shot from my P-90. The man collapsed to the ground and I stalked towards him cautiously, in case he was armed. Lorne kicked away the stunner which lay to his right. I'd hit the man in the upper thigh and he was bleeding quite badly. He'd live, but only for a little while unless he got to a doctor. That would have to wait; I wanted information.

"Where's Teyla?" I snapped. The man, though groaning in pain, started to laugh. I impatiently stood on his wound and he howled.

"Where is she?!" I roared. I saw Lorne throw me a wary look but he said nothing.

"She's gone." He gasped. "With Michael in the ship."

"Where are they going?" I said. He took his time to answer, so I dug my boot deeper into his leg. He screamed. "I don't know! He didn't say." I released the pressure slightly and the man whimpered.

By now, the Cruiser was well above the planet and almost out of sight. The stunner blasts ceased, as did the P-90 fire. There were no longer any visible targets to fire at. Far in the distance, I thought I heard the Stargate activate. The guards must have decided to leave permanently. Shortly afterwards, Sheppard and his team joined me. He noticed where my boot was, but didn't order me to move it.

"Teyla's on the ship, sir." Lorne said. "We don't know where Michael's taking her."

McKay looked crestfallen. Sheppard said nothing.

"What about my blood?" I asked the man. He answered straight away this time.  
"On the ship with Michael. He couldn't finish the tests in time and he knew he'd been discovered so he packed up and left." The man was getting weaker. "He sent someone to kill you in case you escaped." He added with a gasp.

"The syringe?" I replied, remembering the object on the guard's tray. He nodded.

Sheppard clearly had a lot of questions for me, but they'd have to wait. The man was near death.

"Sir, he needs medical attention." I said. Sheppard nodded, and gestured to Ronon, who reluctantly picked the man up and slung him over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

"Did you plant any C4?" The Colonel asked Lorne. The Major shook his head.

"There was nothing to blow up, sir. The rooms were all empty."

Sheppard glanced back at the building. "We'll send some teams to check it out when it's light and we have more ammo. Let's head back to the gate."

We walked in the direction of the Stargate. Thanks to the darkness, the trip took a little over an hour. By the time we got there, the man we'd captured had died. Ronon left his body by the DHD as we stepped through the gate to Atlantis.

oOo

I was kept in the infirmary overnight, and almost every medical test in existence was performed on me. The next morning I was allowed to shower and have a large meal before I was debriefed. Under more normal circumstances, I would have been given longer to recover before the debriefing, but things were getting urgent. I was informed that during my three-week period spent as a prisoner, things had been getting worse in the Pegasus galaxy thanks to Michael's plague. Many more people had died from the disease, and we were no closer to finding a cure.

There was, however, a small piece of good news. A message from the Genii had come through while I'd been in the infirmary, stating that they had information on Michael and Teyla's whereabouts. Sheppard and Lorne's team would be going to meet their contact in a few hours. I requested permission to join them, but Sheppard merely smiled at me and told me he didn't want to see me anywhere near the Stargate for the next few weeks. To be honest, I was rather glad. As much as I wanted to get Teyla back and see Michael defeated, I was looking forward to having some downtime. I stayed in the control room long enough to see Sheppard and Lorne leave through the gate, before wandering back to my quarters and lying down on my bed. Several minutes later, I was asleep.

* * *

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